Totes Are The Answer

     When traveling with Grandma, totes are the answer to so many things.  I sort snacks from drinks and breads from can goods and, the most important, I keep the wet and sandy clothing separate from the dry items. 

     I am in the swimwear business so my grand daughters bring along a lot of suits and cover-ups.  And then we have beach towels and sheets to spread on the sand, and the list goes on and on.  Who wants to be putting on a clean dry suit and find it full of sand and little crabs?  Not my girls!

     Here is the solution that works for me.

       We load up all of our suits, towels and sheets in a nice deep tote.  Obviously you can only take what you have room for so adjust accordingly.
     Then, place another tote on top of that one.  Make the top tote the same size but shorter, for space purposes. 
     You're starting out the trip with the top tote almost empty but that works.  What you do want in the top tote is your garbage bags, empty grocery bags, and a few other items that we will talk about at a later time, so you have easy access to them, and you don't mind those being a bit damp at times.
     That's the start.

     Now, here's the plan. 

     You are done on the beach and back at the car.  You really want to get the sand out of all of those places it doesn't belong so the suits just have to come off.  This is especially important if you are hitting the road and going to be in the car for several hours.

     Look what you have here.  A basically empty tote, just waiting for all your wet and sandy items.  You really don't want to bag them up because they will have no chance to start the drying process and will become real stinky, real fast.  Last thing you want in your car or on your body later.

     From the tote, you can either shake then items out and hang them to dry when you have a chance or throw them in a washer.

Wet stuff - under control

How does this help your budget?  Well - in the long run it will save on swimsuits that could be ruined by mildew.  While on the trip - you will have much less laundry to do since many times the wet stuff will dry and be just fine to use again.  Also - you will not have to wash all those items that were never used but messed up from the sandy and wet stuff being thrown together with them.

Tide Pools Are Free Entertainment

     Heading to the beach?  The tides can make all the difference with activities you can plan.  If you are the athletic type and will be doing a little surfing, kayaking or snorkeling, the timing may be important.  If you are a grandma taking the kids to the beach, it is more important than ever.

     The girls do a little surfing and a lot of laying on the beach catching rays but when the tide is way way out there, a whole new activity presents itself.   Tide pools!  Well, much more than just the pools but that is a big part of it.  Mother Nature supplies us with a whole new view of the sea when there is a big low tide.  I actually plan trips around the tides.

       One year I had the girls ready to head out at 4:30 am to hit the perfect conditions.  At La Jolla Cove, in the San Diego area, what is just under the water's surface is amazing.  Low tide means a whole new world to discover.   We human types are not the only ones.  The seldom exposed rocks are host to seal and gulls.  The vegetation is amazing. Tide pools galore.  And the shoreline takes on a whole new look.

     I have my favorite site for checking out the tides here in the United States.  It has always been right on with the info and offers a little extra info also.  The site, Salt Water Tides, is easy to use.  Once you click on the word Tide that is in green, you are on your way.  If you have a little extra time, bounce around a bit to see what else they have to offer.  Below is just a little example of what this site will show you.

Tides for Long Beach, Outer Harbor, Pier A starting with October 16, 2012.

Day        High      Tide  Height   Sunrise    Moon  Time      % Moon
           /Low      Time    Feet    Sunset                    Visible

Tu  16      Low   3:45 AM     1.2   6:59 AM    Rise  8:21 AM      0
    16     High   9:55 AM     6.4   6:17 PM     Set  7:12 PM
    16      Low   4:52 PM    -0.8
    16     High  11:03 PM     4.4

W   17      Low   4:22 AM     1.4   7:00 AM    Rise  9:31 AM      2
    17     High  10:35 AM     6.4   6:16 PM     Set  8:05 PM
    17      Low   5:44 PM    -0.7 

Here’s where the budget comes in here.

     We grabbed some fruit, water, juice boxes and yeah – the pop tarts, donuts and jerky, and off we went.  Remember, we are on vacation right now.  We don’t eat badly when we are vacationing.  In fact, the girls all eat really well.  But on these exceptionally early days, we break all eating rules.   We can spend hours on end exploring the rarely open areas.   Thanks to Mother Nature, with the exception of the gas, this recreation is free.  That's a half day without spending a penny.

     

 Can’t get better than that.

NOT Christmas In July

     Thinking about a California beach vacation? Working the opposite of the Christmas in July theory works for booking some vacations.  For years I have taken the time between Christmas and New Years to call for reservations at California beach front hotels.   This timing works for many reasons.  First, because you get front desk people who are in the 'happy holiday' spirit.  Second, some of these hotels are not open during the winter with the exception of the holiday dates.   Also, because you often get a person with the time to do a little chatting and will look around to see what the best deal they can find for you and help to make your exact date decision.  You would be surprised how often the front desk person gets a real charge out of helping you with your vacation plans and dates.  Of course, this can only happen when they have a little extra time.  Plan you calls around check in and check out times.

     Conversations is such an important factor in getting the most for your dollar.   Timing also.  Attitude gets you everywhere.

      A phone call I made one time to what has become our favorite hotel in Santa Cruz, California, is a perfect example.  I called off season and got Richard at the Carousel Hotel.  We talked for almost an hour about the fact that I vacation with my grand daughters; and we talked about his birthday being in July; and he informed me of some of the specials that the Boardwalk would probably be running.  This is all important since we are there for the beach and Boardwalk, booking a room that sits on the Boardwalk, and by the time we were done, we were booking a room at an excellent price with an upgrade, got info on special coupons that were being offered at different locations in the area for events, and were going to be there for Richard's birthday.  What did we have to do to get all this?  Promise to bring a birthday cupcake.

OK - three nights with a savings of $60 per night and it cost me a cupcake.   I can handle that.  I did check the cost of the room if I would have booked it in April - the rate would have been $179 per night for the room we had reserved with a balcony and a view of the boardwalk and ocean; and $159 for the cheapest room with no extras, if we could get a room at all.  Our cost for the room - $99 per night, includes continental breakfast, balcony, and we had a sweet little envelope waiting for us with coupons for the Boardwalk, a gift card for a souvenir shop, and a discount card for the local Burger King.  Sweet deal !  And we returned to vacation the follow couple of years too.

Timing is everything.  Having the gift of gab doesn't hurt.  And The Early Bird really does catch the good deals.

                             Sorry boys - it's a girls only trip!